An interesting second world war group of medals, award certificates, documents and photos to Unteroffizier Karl Zworner, 2nd Company, 435th Corps Signals Battalion, XXXV Army Corps, late 693rd Panzer Propaganda Company, 2nd Panzer Army, who saw service on the Eastern Front as a frontline Cameraman. Clearly in the thick of the action he was awarded an Ostmedaille, Wound Badge in Black for a wound whilst retreating from the Rzhev Salient and an Infantry Combat Badge in Silver. 

Karl Zworner was born on 4th November 1909 in Friedrichsgmund, his civil occupation was an ElectroTechnician, his home address In Roth, Kreis Nurnberg, and he was trained film cameraman.

Zworner was a member of the Signals Arm, (435th Corps Signals Battalion) before being transferred to the Army Propaganda Arm which gained its independence from the Signals Arm in January 1943. He would have seen service attached to 2nd Panzer Army during the winter of 1941-42 as part of Army Group Centre, particularly in the fighting around Orel, where his unit spent the better part of 18 months up until late summer of 1943. His presence during the heavy winter fighting of 1941-42 led to the award of the Ostmedaille on 18th August 1942. Serving with the 693rd Panzer Propaganda Company of 2nd Panzer Army from January 1943 onwards he would have been involved in Propaganda activity in the Orel region, attempting to demoralise Russian troops and civilians as well as boosting the moral of the Germans in the area, largely done by focusing purely on the successes of the German forces and seldom mentioning any defeats or setbacks.

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre notes the 693rd Propaganda Company was also involved in the indoctrination of locals against Jews normally through the use of local Russian translators. Those locals employed by the Propaganda Company were noted as indispensable and were not subject to Labour Service or deportation to the Reich for other reasons. One of the publications of Zworner’s unit was ‘Rech’ (The Speech) which at one time had a subscriber list of 6,000, about one for each household in Orel. The ‘Rech’ newspaper was so successful that some of its work was used as a base for Anti-Jewish Propaganda in the Reich. It is likely during a retreat from the Rzhev salient to the lines east of Orel that Zworner was wounded whilst working at the front, for this he was to receive the Wound Badge in Black at Leignitz on 20th April 1943 during his recovery.

693rd Panzer Propaganda Company continued to serve in Central Russia until September 1943, when along with Panzer Army it was moved to the northern Balkans and Hungary where it continued to serve until the end of the war. Zworner was clearly pushed into frontline service during the early months of 1944 being awarded the Infantry Combat Badge in Silver. As the war progressed it became increasingly common for non-combat soldiers to find their way to the frontline in an attempt to cover the increasing manpower shortages suffered by the German Army. It is possible that his combat service was against the Yugoslavian Partisans with whom 2nd Panzer Army was intermittently but increasingly engaged throughout 1944.

The unit was eventually pushed out of Yugoslavia with the Red Army’s Belgrade offensive that took part in the autumn of 1944 and led to the capture of Belgrade on 20th October, it then subsequently was pushed back through northern Yugoslavia into Hungary where it fought until pushed back into Austria at the end of the war. Zworner was awarded his final decoration on 30th January 1945, a War Merit Cross 2nd Class with swords.

Group consists of:

Decorations:

• War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords
• Ostmedaille (with maker’s number on the suspensions ring – 127: Moritz Hausch AG, Pforzheim)
• Infantry Combat Badge in silver
• Wound Badge in black
• German Sports Badge in bronze (made by Wernstein in Jena (DRGM 85269))
• Medal Ribbon Bar for the Ostmedaille and War Merit Cross with Swords

Award Certificates, all fixed to card:

• The German Sports Badge in Bronze awarded in Berlin on 26th June 1931 and awarded to him as Herr Karl Zworner.
• The German Sports Badge in Bronze awarded in Berlin on 26th June 1931 and awarded to him as Herr Karl Zworner.
• The Ostmedaille awarded in the field on 18th August 1942 as a Gefreiter, 3/435th Signals Battalion. Signed by an Oberstleutnant and Battalion Commander.
• The Wound Badge in Black awarded at Leignitz on 20th April 1943 for a first wound received on 18th March 1943 as an Obergefreiter, Fd Post No 08344. Signed by an Oberstabsarzt and Chief Doctor of Reserve Hospital 1 Liegnitz.
  (Fd Post No 08344 – 693 Propaganda Half Company; 14.8.1944 – 693 Panzer Propaganda Company.)
• The Infantry Combat Badge in Silver awarded by HQ 2nd Panzer Army as an Unteroffizier, Panzer Propaganda Company. Signed by Freiherr von Ketelhodt as Oberst and Adjutant. Freiherr von Ketelhodt was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 29.1.1942 as Major and Commanding Officer II/30th Infantry Regiment (motorised), 18th Infantry Division (motorised).
• The War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords awarded by Fuhrer HQ on 30th January 1945 as an Unteroffizier. Facsimile signature of Keitel as Generalfeldmarschall and Chief of the Armed Forces High Command.

Documents: